Recycle, Reuse Literature

Chapter 2, Page 23, “I’m not saying that there’s nothing new in literature: I’m saying that everything is new, and yet recognizably the same kind of thing as the old.”

I strongly agree with Frye’s comment. It is evident to me, and I’m sure others, that literature repeats itself, which is what makes it so fascinating. Recent works come across with a fresh outlook on an original idea each time. Although, by stating this, Frye contradicts himself with his previous comment in chapter 1 page 9, “Literature doesn’t evolve or improve or progress.” When literature repeats itself, one interprets their personal opinion, progressing forward with the fundamentals of the past. Lastly, one thing I found frustrating in this chapter is that he makes a lot of references to books and plays that I’m not familiar with, so I only have a basic idea of what he’s talking about.